Oil jackpot
When coming home from the ship, his coastal town
was in an uproar from every window, people shouted
and banged pot pans together
People danced in the street, which was unheard of
young people shamelessly made love under oaks
so eagerly that trees that had been around forever
lost their leaves.
At home, his mother hollered, from the window
we are richer than the Americans, wealthier then
the Saudis.
His father said, no point going back to see if we can
Pakistanis and the Philippines for this.
People had forgotten the socialist state had a word
the money made in this bonanza was for future use
the currency was put in a fond, already rich could lend
money, from this fond and get richer.
For the plebs, there was little to gain and as seamen
the ship owners changed their flag and hired people for
a low-priced pay and no vacation
Goodbye Merchant navy, you served the nation well.
On Friday a body very frail
And a face coldly pale,
Succeeding to every smile fail
Because of Last Tuesday’s poor sale…
As late as 11:00Pm a touching wail
Over the low-priced chiffon-bale,
To a buyer released for his smart tale.
And then the whines of a bruised tail
That could like a vessel set sail
And like one outlast a gale:
This morning for his bath coldest water pail
And a toothless vow that the guy would step on a nail!
We deal in half-the-price knock-offs,
we deal in less-than authenticity
We deal in brand name imitations,
we're a cut-rate company, y'see
We got those faux designer items,
we got those off-seam irregularities
We got those cheap generic products,
we peddle only second-best quality
If you can't afford the real thing,
and you need a substitute instantly
Then get off the couch
and dial these digits
Get on the phone and come talk to me
I'm your intrepid guide
into the world of the half-genuine
Giving you the inside skinny
on the not-original retail grapevine
Three easy payments
is all you're gonna need
to keep your shaky credit clear and free
Once the deal is done,
celebrate with some low priced bubbly
Courtesy of your favorite cut-rate company
to state that you are a beauty is to state the obvious.
and to compare you to a flower by others or by us
would be an understatement in whole or in what.
even to liken you to the morning star in every part
would defiantly be saying so little about your life,
as would be to describe you as a dawn amidst strife
would be describing an underestimation of your bill.
even if we were to compare you to a priceless pearl
would be gauging you as someone so low-priced.
but since we fail to find the right words about you,
please, stunning one, accept our battered verse of you.